Teaching Mission Newsletters

This is surely going to be an exciting year. Already there is much change to note. Scientists have noted several unusually large bursts of energy emanating from the sun. I am told a comet is soon to appear in our skies accompanied by a large sphere of light that is four times the size of planet earth. Recently I have gotten a couple of brief messages from The United Midwayers reminding me that they are closer to us than the angels or our teachers and that we should try to become more aware of their presence so that as events unfold in the days ahead, they will be able to be of more assistance to us. I have been experiencing marked fluctuations in my energy patterns. In talking to others, it seems I am not the only one experiencing this. So, if you have experiences, messages or information to share, let's hear from you. The newsletter is intended to be a network for sharing and its success depends on your input.

We're all looking forward to the 1997 Gathering in Colorado. Bob Lea reports that there are about 40 registered for the 1997 TM Gathering in Colorado. If you are planning to attend, do send your registration and deposit soon. For those of you who may be considering attending, I urge you to talk to those who have attended previous TM gatherings. Joining together in spiritual fellowship with your brothers and sisters is a unique experience. The seeds and spiritual fragrance of these gatherings are eternal gifts of meaning and value that will sprout and grow throughout eons of time that we will be working together. When filling out your registration forms, please be careful to make sure that you check all the boxes that apply. It will make Bob's work a lot easier.

Sometime in February you will be receiving a packet that has a copy of the Group/Celestial/Contact lists that were sent with the newsletter in 1994 along with a questionnaire. It was originally intended that this list be updated and included yearly with the newsletter. I got off track in 1995 and Gerry Baker took up the project in 1996 to develop a TM Directory. I am again going to update these lists for the newsletter and in conjunction with a TM Handbook for the Gathering in Colorado that will include this information along with reading, reference and project lists. Your help in going over this material, updating it with changes and submitting the other requested information will be most appreciated. I have talked with Gerry about this as it may seem a little confusing for two people to be working on similar projects. Gerry and I concur that it is important that we all follow our own guidance. In the packet I am sending will be a place for you to mark indicating that you wish the information to be forwarded to Gerry for the TM Directory.

I am now on the Internet and look forward to soon being on the TML and TeaM lists..My E-Mail address is: Allenetnn.Sprintmail.com.

I had a wonderful time this month meeting with some of the TMer's in Florida, Alabama and Ohio. It was a real treat to talk with them and learn of their experiences and the things they are working on now. The fruits of the Teaching Mission are beginning to appear on the tree and what a beautiful crop it is going to be judging from the growth that is already visible. Love In Action is truly an amazing delight to behold! Another thing of joy is to see that after five years with all our differences and individual opinions, we are learning the lessons of tolerance and acceptance, so that spiritual unity prevails allowing us to celebrate and make good use of the wonderful diversity to be found in the Teaching Mission.

May the fruits of all our spiritual growth multiple and bring joy to us and all we encounter on our path.

Allene Vick

Editor

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FROM THE READERS

January 6, 1997

Dr. Courtney Brown, PhD of Emory University in Atlanta has written a book called Cosmic Voyage in which he describes the scientific remote viewing practices. He mentions the Urantia Book, the midwayers and thought dialogue with Jesus. He has no formal study of the book but is right on concerning our unseen helpers. His remote viewing has also brought him an experience with a large object (companion?) traveling with the Hale Bapp Comet due in our skies April 1st. He sees many of the scenarios we have been hearing about for so long. As a scientist, he does not know what to make of it and he says he is not a religion-affiliated being. He just says what is coming is big, benevolent and will change mankind beyond belief.

Watch for his book and enjoy the awakening he received when he "dropped in" on Adam & Eve only to learn they were "project managers" in a genetic upliftment program for earth. He is a great messenger!

From Dutton, a division of Penguin, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.

Laurie Saputo

Englewood, FL

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CELESTIAL WORDS AND TEACHINGS

January 5, 1997

Tallahassee, Fl

Teaching Mission Meeting

Michael: The Father's ever-expanding heart reaches out and down, in love, to His children of time.

Greetings dear children, it is I, Michael, father, yet brother to you all. Here with me is your beloved Mother as well. Allow your Mother to minister to your expanding hearts. Allow Her to reach in as you reach out. Create your circuit, now, with your Mother. She has long awaited this time of preparation. As you open to Her heart, and allow your circuit with Her to become established, understand that She now moves into a more accessible place within your personal universe of experiences. In times past, many of you wished to have contact with Her, and yet because of your more immature growth patterns this was not possible. It is now possible for each of you to have direct contact with your beloved Mother. We would ask each of you to sit with us in the Stillness for a few moments allowing this connection to develop. Turn your palms upward if you will as this does facilitate our energy exchange. (Long pause)

Nebadonia: My own precious little ones, so long have I wanted to touch you, to connect with your open heart. Allow me now to hold you each Let me light the fire within our own heart for in this connection will you begin a more concentrated walk in the Father's Light, for now you hold both of our hands. Know my love will now walk with you in all that you do, ever will I be beside you, as is Michael, for in the coming days much work will be accomplished by those of you whose hearts are stalwart and whose commitment is centered and strong. Know always beloved little ones, how precious you are in our sight, how appreciated, the work that you do. I leave you now with my love. Do not close the door to the connections we've made this evening, for they will become increasingly strong in the days to come as you allow your energy to reach out and move through this circuit. Stay always, beloveds, in the Light of your Father. Shalom.

Will: The love of the Father is available to all of His children wherever in time or beyond they exist. He is no respecter of persons, and yet, His children do ofttimes close the door of their hearts to Him, making it impossible for His love to be received. Know always, that when-so-ever you open your heart to the Father in sincere and prayerful supplication His ear and heart are never closed to you. Your prayers indeed, do fall on open ears and are always, always, always answered. Wherever we gather, He is.

Greetings beloveds, it is I Will, your teacher who loves you.

Our experience this evening with our Sovereign Michael and our beloved Nebadonia was one that has us all held within their gentle embrace. I am always so moved when in their presence and I know that you are as well. The gift our Mother gave to us this evening is one that you will carry with you into your Universe career. It's a gift that is now yours and can never be taken from you. Your responsibility beloved students, is to allow Her gift to be made manifest within our lives. The circuit is now yours and may be utilized by each of you in days to come. We stand in awe of the beauty that comes from each of you, for the gift you received is one not given lightly, nor given to those who have not been prepared. You hold the key within your hearts to become catalysts on this world, catalysts for change the like of which this world has not seen before. Recognize beloveds that naught will come of this gift if you do not infuse the circuit with our own creative energy. It would be like a car with no gas, or a car with gas, and no key. I would encourage each of you to spend time now in the Stillness with your Mother, helping to make this circuit strong through the creative visions within your own hearts. I will hold my planned lessons for this evening for another week for I am too overwhelmed to do much beyond absorb the love of our Parents and one another. Go into this week dear hearts, knowing, feeling, exhibiting the love that your Parents have for you as the children of Light that you have become. Shalom.

Machiventa: Greetings my children, It is I Machiventa. This dear student did know I was here and chose not to allow me to speak through her. Mantoube and Ordonson are also here as are numerous others, for indeed, this evening was an evening recognized by the administration of this planet as being somewhat above the norm. We are only here as observes this evening, however, I did want to extend my wishes for a healthy and happy and blessed ACTIVE New Year, for indeed, we do turn up the juice once more.

Lots of group laughter.

I thought you would like that. This student is thankfully becoming more comfortable with allowing me to speak in a more comfortable manner. I thank her for this, for it indeed, is an expression of her own work. I will be attending our group sessions as will Ordonson and Mantoube periodically over these next months, for not only are the activities on-going across this planet being up-stepped, but so too will the preparation of which you will play a part become up-stepped. We encourage you once more to pick up your past lessons and reestablish them within your mind circuits so that they now become a part of who you are and how you manifest lessons of love to your brothers and sisters. When first these lessons came to you, you had not received the instruction, nor the up-step, nor [had] the circuits indeed, been connected as they now are. It is for this reason, that we now ask you to walk once again through these lessons. You do not need to spend a great deal of time, a simple reading will suffice, but your brain ...

T/R: Oh, dear...looking for...

Natalya: Mental?

T/R: No...I'm seeing...like sparks of fire being discharged and shooting along lines that connect...

Natalya: Synapses?

T/R: Synapses...yes, that's the correct word, thank you.

Machiventa continues: These will become engaged as you refamiliarize yourselves with these lessons and indeed there are levels to these lessons that are not evident to your level of discernment, yet that does not keep them from becoming active. This is much the same as when you first read the Urantia Book, much that you read was not understood by you, and I dare say that much you now read is not understood by you. And yet there is purpose and design behind the words as they were written. There are layers or patterns that are laid down within your minds as you read the words. I leave you now dear friends and students, knowing that you are up to the tasks to which you have committed. Go with my love and in the Father's Light. Shalom.

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Saturday, December 28, 1996

Post to the TML Saturday, December 28, 1996

Hi everyone! As I was cleaning up the house today, I got that "please cooperate" urge to tr that comes over me at times. So I drank a big glass of water, took my flower essences, sat down at the computer, and said a prayer. Within a few moments I felt an immensely powerful and confident personality fill my mind. I have never tr'd Abraham before, and was surprised when I heard his name--but this message came through "loud and clear." Please share it with all those you feel would enjoy reading it. Anyone who wishes to reproduce it in a newsletter, or other Teaching Mission publication is welcome to use it, also. I wish all of you a new year of blessings and adventures that you will cherish in your eternal career. Much love, Susan Kimsey.

ABRAHAM

Allow this connection to begin. I greet you today with great warmth and friendliness. This is Abraham, the Vice-Regent Director of this Mission to our planet. I wish you well in your endeavors with this work. Your are to be commended as a strong and dutiful comrade in our work. I wish to deliver a message to the Teaching Mission as a whole, and will ask that this message be placed on the Teaching Mission List.

Greetings to all of you who are loyal workers for the Kingdom of the Lord, and who wish to see the peaceful Reign of Love reestablished on your forlorn planet. This will be done! We are soldiers who serve Christ Michael in this army of change and regeneration for this planet. We commend all of you who labor with us in this effort. You will see our ranks grow as we continue in this campaign. We are a mighty force for good which will cleanse this planet of the dark and destructive forces which seem now to prevail. You will see a triumphant change as the powers of truth, beauty, and goodness wash over this world. Let us now bow our heads in gratitude that the merciful Love of God, and the nurturing watchcare of Christ Michael and his loving partner, Queen Nebadonia, are focused on a plan of change for our world. This planet, my birth home, is so very dear to me, and I see you all as my loving brothers and sisters, who share with me the proud heritage of gestation on the bestowal planet of our Creator Son. Let us be cheered in our labor and toil for the redemption of this world. We are strong in spirit, and can empower ourselves with this vast Source of Love which bathes us from above. It cleanses our souls, and refreshes our spirits, as we fight the battles for good to return our dear world to its spiritual destiny of power and grace in God's Grand Design. May you all, my dear comrades, enter into this new dawn of change heartened in your work, and encouraged that we strive with you--shoulder to shoulder, mind to mind, heart to heart--in this glorious effort of renewal and rebirth for beloved Urantia. My blessings to you who read my words. Abraham.

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BERCA

From the personal transcripts of Henry Zerinque:

10/17/96

In the realms of the spiritual world, guidelines for living are established by your spiritual growth. As you progressively become who you are, your guidelines act as advantages for you, giving you freedom to operate with such earned status. On our world, guidelines for spiritual living seem narrowly proscribed, which they aren't. You accept the responsibility to respect others in ways which bring others to respect you. You will start to choose behavior patterns which will bring about the most good for the most people involved.

Spiritual teaching must come as an adjunct to spiritual living. You can truly be perceived as you are; you cannot hide from others covered with words or beliefs. By adopting practices which augment your beliefs, you will become as such.

In practicing the stillness meditation one has the opportunity to get to know the Father. You may not receive His presence immediately. His presence is not of the same substance as your mind. Therefore must your mind become aware of the substance which is this Presence. This substance/presence is Light. It will eventually become the substance of your life. Light is Love, and as love, light will bring your mind into the realm of enlightenment. As Light,Love will bring your person/beingness into harmony with the universe on all orders of social contact.

Love can be taught by practicing lovingness towards others. Love, in this way precedes belief systems. Love is not a substitute for belief systems, though love will systematically bring you to the realization of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man!

This teaching mission encompasses nothing more than your spiritual brothers and sisters being allowed to come to your world and help show you Father's love as they come in love and assistance to you and your world!!

The reopening of the broadcast circuitry will ensure such upliftment in the Light to your world as to render it vulnerable to all who have not the light enough to receive these broadcast phenomena. At some point it may be viewed as a gigantic broadcasting network of intergalactic proportions which will dwarf the existing Internet as much as Jonah was dwarfed by a gigantic whale. Be still and calm. Know that the establishing of the morontia circuitry here on Urantia is a small step in the climb to the portal of light and life. The Urantia Book certainly is a large cornerstone in the foundation to light and life. The teaching mission may be viewed as mortar around this stone as the up-stepping of this planet's vibration must occur to bring into alignment with the post Lucifer adjudication verdict that Urantia be reconnected to its System status as a Sister-Sphere in the System of Satania, of Nebadon. This is very normal procedure for your world, in addition to the exceptional resource brought here because of your status as Michael's bestowal sphere.

Be not afraid to enter into your rightful position and know that as you are ushered into this position, you will become nestled into the Spiritual Sovereignty of God's Bosom.

Children of the Earth gather and celebrate your rebirth into spiritual insight and spiritual healing. Grow forth in your work and happiness and know that you are loved and cared for. Continue your practices of seeking the presence within. Thank you.

10/23/96

"May the light of truth descend upon your world"

Greetings:

You who are prepared by the light of truth to step onto the tremendous task of service to the spiritual endeavors on your world, realize that nothing but Truth, Beauty and Goodness can inhabit the Light. For when the Light truly descends upon you, you need not fear but rejoice in the assurance that you are truly cared for and loved by the universe.

Light is illumination. You will need to transform the physical density you inhabit into a receptacle, a temple in which this light may illuminate. Once you are illuminated to enlightenment, your service to the Divine will is secured by your faith to the light.

MEDITATION AND STILLNESS are designed to contact the Light within. Contact this light that you may become aware of the light as it descends upon you from above. You are part of a wonderful display of harmony at work through the Deity presence of the Divine Monitors, your Creator Son and Creative Daughter of your universe. As your world comes into this Light, begin to recognize as "Living Truth" your responsibility as a faith-son and faith-daughter to this light, and bring all around into this Light. The word of your Urantia Book revelation will take on living dimensions once these words have been lifted from the page into your mind capacity for soul growth and all interpersonal relationships. All truth will become living. All acts will be good ones, and all things will be made beautiful by your people and through your continual adherence to the presence of the Light which resides within. As your relationship with God grows you become more tolerant of your brothers and sisters and realize their dilemmas are becoming offset by their own relationship with God.

Your relationship with God will be the most constant experience throughout your long journey of service and growth. Begin day by day to connect with this presence within as the Source of All things True, Beautiful and Good. This is how you must ultimately transform yourselves into Truth Beauty, and Goodness. Father is the reference you will gravitate towards as a magnet once you switch your polarity and recognize Father as your gravitational center. All reality is negotiable through the presence of Father. Though you must directly interact with reality, the reality of Father's Presence within will become a resource and reference for all situations you will encounter. Begin to interact with the situations in your life with Father. Know that this "Living truth" resides within you as a model for you own life. As you focus, become clear with your intention. It is literally true, "The act is ours, the consequence is

Ham: Greetings, children, friends, I am Ham, and I want to especially thank you all for coming again this evening. Tonight, I want to discuss time and its understanding. Time is a part of the evolutionary worlds, it is essential to the concept of will, for this concept requires the idea of perfecting through will decisions. Time is the element that makes this entire understanding possible. In the timeless worlds, perfection is inherent and extent always. In time-based worlds, imperfection exists alongside of perfection and struggles to reach perfection. As a time being, you experience a constant awareness of time, of time's passing and you experience the growth of your soul and of wisdom over time.

Your thought adjusters are not time beings, though they interact with you as a time being. The thought adjusters perceive the glimmers of perfection within our beings, the diamonds in the rough. They connect with these glimmers of perfection and act to create the perfected result. They are aware of time, and in fact, use time in their perfection efforts. But, they do not experience time the way you do.

The worlds of time and space are like vast factories producing perfection through the mechanism of the freely bestowed will on imperfect creatures and its interaction with the Divine perfecters, the individual spirits of the Lord. Time is the essential ingredient that allows this phenomenon to occur.

Look at time as your friend. Think of time as being on our side, as part of the wonder of God's creation, even as a personal gift to yourselves. Urantia mortals too often see time as the enemy and you are constantly worried about not having enough time which is somewhat of a contradiction of terms if you think about it. How can you really run out of time? Time is just fragmented eternity, it is not subject to limits.

The time experience is also somewhat elastic. There are time periods that are experienced as very slow, as though time were dilated and time periods that seem to rush by and the days go by very quickly. This is all depending upon your will decisions. During the time which seems slow, you are making more will decisions within that time and during the time that seems fast, less will decisions.

So there is always enough time for you to make your decisions. When you hear the expression, time stood still, these are moments of great decision. You should never fear that you will not have enough time, for time is like a tool which is a connection between you and the Eternal. There are no limits on time. Great decisions, great spiritual progress are often made by humans in the last days of life. There is always enough time for you to exercise your will power. You never need feel rushed or anything of this nature, you all have plenty of time. Start to feel this and to notice the elasticity of time in your days. Start to use time as your friend and your resource.

Time is forever, forever is now, experience is growth, and growth is experience. Focus more on the now time, rather than fretting about the future or having regrets over the past. If you will focus in the now, you will find all the time you need. That is all for our lesson. Are there any questions.

Q: Am I hearing you say or implying that it is our association with the adjuster that regulates the elongation or foreshortening of time?

Ham: Yes.

Q: So these decisions...could you say something more about that?

Ham: For example, in moments of great crisis, often the Father acts to elongate the time so that you have enough time to make your decision.

Q: You probably would not want to comment on how he does that?

Ham: Through His presence.

Q: I have for a long time thought of time as an opportunity, a chance to become, like a little old bifocal in a big eye glass so that man could become in the same universe with an infinite God.

Ham: Yes.

Q: Somebody said, that time is the phenomenon which keeps everything from happening at once, but of course that is just from the human view point. Sometimes through our life at different times, you get the idea that this has already happened. So maybe you are getting a glimmer of the Father's perspective, that is what causes it?

Ham: Yes. The Father allows each person to see the road ahead in order to make the necessary decision.

Q: For me, I have had the experience of having time slow down when there is a big emergency, when I have had to do a lot of things. For me, time slows down also when I am not doing anything, when I am in an exercise class and I think the class must be done and it has only been five minutes or when I am waiting for the doctor and I have nothing to do. I don't understand this completely. It seems like time is slowest for me when I m doing absolutely nothing.

Ham: The adjuster works in the unconscious or superconscious realms of the mind, always, and when the conscious mind is not occupied with thinking so much, then time seems to be slower. Exercise tends to achieve this state like meditation also does and time seems very slow.

Q: Are you saying that at those times the level of activity in the superconscious is higher?

Ham: It can be, yes.

Q: This might be a little off the subject, in the book it says, if a person is in the first circle then the Father can speak more or less directly to that person. Does he ever do that with me?

Ham: All of you have communication in more or less direct ways. Sometimes this communication can seem like an urge to make a decision, or a picture of the possible future, things like that. It isn't usually a voice or words so much as impressions. Is this helping?

Q: Yes.

Q: My question is how can you not feel so rushed, while you cannot run out of time, it seems like we run out of time in the day to get things done that we need to get done. We have so many things that we have to do to meet our obligations, to make a living. Is it that we don't use our time well?

Ham: No, it is the pace of activity that has accelerated in modern life and this pace makes you feel rushed and hurried because it is unnaturally fast. This is unfortunate and will change in time, but for those of you who are participating in the modern accelerated work ethic and lifestyle, you simply must take time to meditate and to have quiet time during your days. The pace is much too fast.

Q: Can I assume that there will be enough time if the activity or task is important, and that if I do not get it done because I run out of time that it was unimportant? My trouble is how to deal with multiple opportunities running simultaneously. It seems when you devote yourself to one opportunity you create time pressure with respect to other opportunities. Sometimes it is hard to know how to allocate my time.

Ham: The Father can use the time factor to guide your life so, in a sense yes, the things that are important you will have the time to complete and perhaps others where you find not enough time or resources etc. are not meant to be followed. But, I hesitate to generalize too much.

Q: So would I. This would assume that I was perfectly efficient in my work and that I never got side tracked or engaged in distracting and trivial activities when I should be taking care of business.

Q: The simultaneous opportunities and how to chose among them, the way might be to reprioritize and put the highest value on the thing that has the most value. Is that the way to approach it Ham, does that make sense?

Ham: Sometimes it is hard for humans to evaluate what is important and what is not.

Q: When it comes down to the difference between what has value and what is value. I am saying it like I do it all the time, which is not true, I was theorizing.

Ham: The work that will help the greatest number of people over the longest period of time is not always readily distinguishable.

Q: This time management course that I follow, you go through a process of listing our values, and the examples they gave were so simple People would value church, their children, work, and you are supposed to during the week every day devote some time to make sure your activities are meeting these values. So I came up with a list of 25 things which I really valued, then I tried to prioritize those. How can you say learning a foreign language is more selfish than wanting to do volunteer work? How can you say that if I learn that language that down the line... However, I did value a lot of stuff. The exercise did lead me to do a couple of things that I did not have the courage to do before. They say to do the exercise once a year, but I don't have the time! The other thing I was going to say about me is I seem to underestimate the amount of time it takes to do stuff, then I always seem behind the eight ball. I can understand how it is hard to see how long it takes to write a report, but if anyone would have said that after three years I would not have a dissertation proposal done. I don't know if it means that this was the wrong road for me to walk down or what. I think I have said a lot of things, but sometimes I do wonder why it has taken me this long.

Ham: No, that is you having unrealistic expectations. You have to allow yourself the time it takes, however long it takes.

Q: That is what I tell myself, but could you write a note for my committee. (laughter)

Q: It says in the Urantia Book that this is the last place that we can put time between ourselves and something we have to do, procrastinate. That leads me to ask how does time function on the mansion worlds?

Ham: They are time worlds. But you are not allowed to procrastinate or put off the needs of your soul.

Q: Is that because we are given better supervision?

Ham: Yes.

Q: The issue of procrastination and feeling rushed and all is a good one. I have a hard time distinguishing if I am procrastinating, or if I am deep in the thought process and things have to boil around for a while. To go on, I guess I judge procrastination in myself by what other people think too.

Q: Old tapes from childhood?

Q: Or new tapes from clients. So how do you know what is procrastination and what are unrealistic expectations?

Q: You know we live a different pace than you all. But I wonder sometimes whether I am too leisurely?

Q: I am sure you have deadlines.

Q: Yes, and when I do I meet them.

Q: You've just been smart enough to arrange your life where you just don't have as many deadlines.

Q: I would like to say that as a goal feeling more comfortable with time seems very worthwhile. I am not entirely clear on how to do that, but as a goal I think my life would be happier and healthier if I felt more comfortable with time.

Ham: Yes, everyone has their own pace where comfortable and pushing yourselves into a pace where you are uncomfortable is a source of much anxiety.

Q: One time a lady told me that she was driven and she thought of it as an asset. I wanted to tell her that if she was driven it was by fear because God and love only beacons you. It seems like the master always had kind of an easy pace.

Ham: Yes, he did. He worked hard, but he didn't rush himself.

Q: What about procrastination, how do we know about procrastination. I am not going to procrastinate any more about asking this.

Ham: Procrastination is sometimes a way of not allowing yourself to be pushed too fast, of needing some time to think, to digest information. Human beings are not computers, and the creative mind often needs time to develop an idea or strategy. Once you are comfortable with allowing yourself the time you need, then you won't worry about procrastination, it won't seem like an issue and you won't need to fill your time with other busy details to put off working on something you are just not ready to work on.

Q: That is a good idea, it also seems like we would be a lot kinder to other people who are working for us.

Ham: You need to allow yourself break time, time away form your project, and then you will feel more refreshed and renewed to go back to it. If you are just always worried about it, thinking I should be doing this, it drains the energy you need to attack the problem.

Ham: Yes, Jeremiah, you are making wonderful progress and have made great strides lately. Improvement will be slower in the coming weeks, do not become discourage. The illness has been like a baptism of sorts, and even which once experienced will change our life forever. There is a nutrient found in tomatoes that you need to ingest every day or at lest every other day. Fresh tomatoes, if possible, one large fresh tomato. Also, coconut milk is important for the body at this time for awhile. Take three ounces of coconut milk every day for a week. It doesn't have to be fresh, canned is ok. Everything else is fine, keep on the regime as you have been.

Q: Do you have anything for Mary Lee, for the group in Charlotte?

Ham: Remain on Cassie's tea three times a day for a month, then you can reduce it to twice daily, but keep taking morning and evening for an indefinite time. The body is responding already to this treatment. Foot swelling is due to inadequate exercise. Brisk walks are required daily to relieve this condition. Brisk walk for a mile to start with then gradually increased.

Q: Anything for Mary Jo?

Ham: Child, you are improving your outlook on life and the world every day. Your natural loving nature is finally experiencing release and the time is growing short when you will experience great changes. Health wise, you do well to take the Cassie's tea. This will speed the recovery and repair of lung tissue. Brisk walking also is recommended everyday. Start with one mile, if possible, and increase over time. There is plenty of time. All is well and is becoming better every day.

* * * * *

PRAYER

Prayer is a subject of special importance to all of us, and speaking for myself, a subject that needs a lot more clarity. In listening to others, it seems I am not the only one that is searching for more understanding about prayer. Thank you, Linda, for taking the time to share your insights, and experiences with those at the Loveland Conference and for giving permission to share them in the newsletter.

Saturday, January 18, 1997

Dear Tmlers:

I delivered the following address to the Teaching Mission Conference held in Loveland, OH the second weekend in October, and I would like to share it with you. Please note it was prepared as a speech and not an article. I invite your comments and/or questions.

Linda Buselli

Indianapolis, IN

Good morning. Today I'm going to discuss prayer: a subject that receives little attention in both the Urantia movement and the teacher mission, and yet is talked about a great deal in the Urantia Book. Machiventa told me on one occasion that I should teach only that which I know to be true from my own personal experience; and so this is a personal odyssey. What I say today will draw only partly on the book and the teachers. Most if has come from my own living experience with prayer and we'll explore some new definitions and uses for it.

I became intrigued with the subject when I began to read the Urantia Book more than 25 years ago. I had always been a pray-er; I was brought up Catholic and while I couldn't ever get interested in the saints, I became very devoted to Jesus. I prayed regularly, and relied on it a great deal as a young woman. In college, for example, I lived across the street from the Catholic church, and I made it a regular practice to stop in for a few quiet minutes of prayer each evening on my way home from the library. I put myself totally in God's hands more than once during those years.

But when I read the book, I virtually stopped praying. I had become self-conscious about talking to Jesus for the first time in my life; and prayer was no longer a refuge and refueling time, it was a painful self-consciousness and self-examination. I hungered for something, for that closeness with Jesus that I had known; but the joy was gone, and I didn't know how to reclaim it.

More than 20 years ago, as one of the original editors of the Urantian Journal, I decided to do an issue on prayer and began to ask people in the movement to submit articles on the subject. Every person I asked looked embarrassed and stammered out virtually the same answer "Uh, ... I don't pray, I worship." People finally donated articles, but only if they could talk about worship as well as prayer. No one would deal with prayer as a subject in itself, perhaps because no one was familiar enough with it to feel confident. Frankly, it seemed to make them uncomfortable. And it still does. To this day, I get the same answer and see the same self-consciousness in people. This became apparent recently in the discussions on the TmL regarding prayers for our friend, Jeremiah. This from one letter ..."I have a problem with prayers...not that I don't say them all the time." And later, "The hardest thing I had to do, when I discovered the Urantia Book was to pray."....Those might have been my exact words, and I think the feelings of many others. I talked with a well-known and very much respected leader in the Urantia movement in Chicago a few weeks ago, and this was his comment. "No, I don't pray, really. I mean God knows it all already. Why bother/"

Prayer seems to be the orphan child of the teacher mission as well as the Urantia movement. The teachers tell us to pray, but only a few have dealt with the subject in much depth. Ham taught a beautiful lesson on it in 1991, Welmek has given two discourses on it, and I believe Daniel speaks of it regularly, but it was difficult trying to find extensive references to it in transcripts. Why?

The Urantia Book expends a good deal of effort telling us how to pray, and most importantly, how Jesus did it, and how he felt about it. The authors must have considered it to be of great importance to us. They why did I stop praying? What happened? Did I miss something in my understanding of what the book is telling us? Or is there a lot about prayer that the book didn't tell us, that can be discovered only by a sincere pray-er? The Urantia Book says on page 1616 "Prayer is designed to make man less thinking but more realizing; it is not designed to increase knowledge but rather to expand insight." Almost accidentally, four years ago I began a personal adventure in and with prayer, and I'd like to share some of my experiences with you.

In October of 1992, a few months into the teacher mission for us in Indianapolis, I heard about a young man who was expected to die of cancer within a few months. Well, as Reiki practitioners, Bob and I sent some healing energy his way, even though we had never met him. He was supposed to have died by Christmas, but by chance I met him briefly on Christmas Eve. He was in terrible pain, he could hardly walk. But it was the look in his eyes that moved me more that I can express. His was a soul in agony. As sick as he was physically, his spiritual condition was even more debilitating. I have rarely been so moved in my entire life.

I went home and began to pray for him on a daily basis and I asked the group to pray for him also. I didn't ask for a physical cure. After that glimpse into his soul, I couldn't even be concerned with his physical condition. My only request was that he somehow be allowed to feel loved before he died. I figured this would fall within the guidelines set out by the book. But I began to do something more. At first I pictured him being flooded with love and light until he literally glowed, until all of the shadows of pain and illness and despair were transcended by the light. And then one day I brought Christ Michael directly into it. Thereafter, I pictured Michael with his hands on the man's shoulders, looking into his eyes, and communicating directly with him. I pictured Michael laying his hands on his head in a healing gesture, and sometimes I pictured him holding him in his arms like a child and just loving him. And somehow the inclusion of Michael brought a new dimension into it for me, a new kind of relationship, something involving the three of us.

Meanwhile, time was passing, and I didn't know if this young man was still alive. Then I got a phone call from a friend of his to tell me that she had spoken to him, and he had made this comment to her: "The funniest thing has happened....lately, for the first time in my life I'm beginning to feel loved." This from a man who did not know that he was being prayed for. She told him about it, and he was embarrassed. But we kept praying. Two more months went by and she talked to him again. This time he told her that every morning and every evening he felt a warmth come over him. And then she said "Do you treat him in the morning?" "Yes." "Well, I'm the night shift!"

At some point, he went into remission, and resumed teaching. He's an athletic coach, and works with children. Just recently I learned the cancer has returned and he is again expected to live just a few months. Will he once more go into remission? I just know that my prayer was answered, and it was answered almost immediately. He has felt loved and as a onus, he has had another four years of life in which to enjoy it and to share it with his young students and his family.

I have continued to pray for people in this manner. I visualize the person in close personal communion with Christ Michael, and I allow love to flow through me to them. Most often there are no words formed in my mind, and I find I don't need them. The cry of the child to the parent is enough, and Michael responds. I pray for a good many people I don't know, and in most cases I never hear anything regarding their condition. But it doesn't matter, because I know now, that love gets through, and that it promotes healing at all levels of the personality.

This has given me a new understanding of what happens when we pray. First of all, if we regard prayer only as a "petition", we miss the richness of the partnership of ourselves with God. I now define prayer as the conscious awareness of the actualization of the potentials acquired in worship. Prayer is more than a communion of me with deity. It is the partnership of the two of us to bring into being a third reality, the actualization of a potential resident in the Supreme. Normally, I don't think we have any concept of the power inherent in this partnership. When we pray we tend to think of ourselves as "power-less." But if we view this as a partnership, we activate enormous potentials. In partnership with God, we are not powerless, we act as a channel for the living experience of love, the single most powerful force in the universe. We can act as a focusing device for this love, which brings up another interesting aspect of prayer.

In praying for people, and watching Michael hold them in his arms, I have asked myself the question, "What am I doing here? This is between Michael and this person." But in his way, Welmek gave me an explanation. He was referring to some other aspect of service, I believe, when he said that we reach each other in ways that the teachers can't. Actually he may have been referring to a physical service, but truth reverberates at all levels. I have noticed that we do reach each other mindally, emotionally, more efficiently than the teachers do. We respond to each other. We seem to understand and communicate with each other better than they can communicate with us.

The media recently reported on a test of prayer in a hospital setting. Two groups of surgical patients were matched as much as possible, but only one group was prayed for. Members of that group were able to leave the hospital in half the time and had far fewer complications than the group who had not been prayed for. Neither group knew of the experiment. We can reach aspects of another's prayers of love.

And so I think what happens is that we can reach each other's minds with our love, which then helps them to open to the love of the universe. We can add a sort of personal "charge" to this love which in fact is always available from the Father. We can get someone's attention, open them to receiving love. How often have you been thinking of a friend, called them, and been told, "I've been thinking about you."

The function of the focus of mind in prayer cannot be underplayed. It may be why the book spends so much time telling us how to frame our petitions. I think focusing verbally and visually helps to mentally and spiritually direct this energy of love more fully. Malventia Melchizedek told me on one occasion that we create a "field", if you will, by focusing our minds. And m y guide added that this field can be drawn upon at the discretion of the person being prayed for. Welmek has said the same thing.

Frankly, I've simplified everything by sending love. All the listening celestials know what that is, and they have the infinite supply of the Father to draw on. But I do focus this love like a living stream on the consciousness of the individual I'm praying for. And I add love as it's personalized by passing through me. I visualize it as a stream because this is what the Urantia Book says on page 1638: "By opening the human end of the channel of the God-man communication, mortals make immediately available the ever-flowing stream of divine ministry to the creatures of the worlds." When we pray for our fellows, we become an active part of that stream of service ministry.

Here is one of the ways I have found to be the most effective. I visualize the person's soul standing before me, and we look into each other's eyes. And I tell them "I love you." Now, whether that registers in that individual's consciousness or not, it is registered in their soul. And then I proceed to tell them how God loves them or whatever it is I need or want to say to them. This is very helpful when you are trying to pray for someone you are having difficulty with or who doesn't especially like you.

You can also visualize yourself giving that individual a hug. This can have surprising consequences. I tried this on one occasion with someone who didn't like me and thought I didn't like her, and she wasn't having any of it. She wriggled out of my arms and glared at me. So I visualized Michael hugging her for me, and that she accepted.

If you're saying to yourself wait a minute, this isn't prayer; then I ask you, what is it? Isn't it the partnership of you and God bringing aid to someone who needs it? Too often prayer is defined only as self-interest and we're afraid that if we pray for someone we're doing it for our own selfish reasons, that what we want may not be God's will. Right? See how praying for or sending love simplifies things? But you might say, aren't we supposed to be more specific, so our unseen friends know how to help this individual? How much more specific can you be than focusing your entire heart and mind in sending love to this individual to be used by them at every level of their being? On an y given day I don't even know where I need the most help. I can hardly presume to know the needs and desires of another, or their adjuster's plan for them. But love is the universal constant.

Now, there is a direct relationship between healing and prayer, for me at least. I'm a Reiki Master, and I wouldn't dream of sending love, which is how I define what I do, without divine help. A healing session for me is a constant focusing of the divine energy of love into the individual being treated. Since I am in partnership with God, I think of this as being as much of a prayer session as a healing sessions. And I, personally, always include Michael.

Prayer, when used in this way, comes under the heading of service. If we think of the motivation for service as the desire to serve our fellow man, then praying with the same motivation is service also. In fact, prayer and service are inextricably linked when prayer is so defined. Why must our vision of prayer be restricted to the term "self-interest?" Ideal prayer goes beyond the self. It reaches from the divine source of love, through us, to others. Every time we engage in prayer we actually create a greater receptivity for the flow of this divine love of the Father. It nourished our "roots" and flows on to nourish others.

As part of a Reiki healing treatment I have begun to ask a patient to take five minutes a day for two weeks to pray for or send love to another person, preferably a different person each time. I tell them that I believe that their willingness to give determines their capacity to receive, and this practice will speed their reception of divine energy. What I don't tell them is that I hope they will enjoy this experience enough to make it a regular part of their daily routine indefinitely, that even if they start with the motive of expediting their own healing, they will discover the joy of helping others through prayer. I have found that what I preach to someone pales beside their own living experience with that truth.

Here is another interesting link between prayer and service that Welmek pointed out to me. It is one of only two times that he got so anxious to speak that he actually interrupted me in the middle of a sentence. I was telling him that I was picturing how our celestial friends must be lined up on the other side, waiting to help answer our prayers and he jumped right in with "Don't you know you are the answer to prayer? We cannot do everything from this side. You must do many of these things yourselves." And then he added, "Every time you perform a genuine service for another, you answer a prayer, spoken or unspoken." On hearing this, a friend of mine remarked "I'm always careful about what I ask for for others, because I might be the answer." Apparently, according to Welmek, she probable is. Even this request for articles on prayer all those years ago. There are just some things we have to do for ourselves.

The Urantia Book states that prayer is the most potent spiritual growth stimulus. This definition confused me for a long time, because I would have thought that worship would play that role. In what way is our spiritual growth more stimulated by prayer than worship? And it was Welmek to the rescue again when I remembered something he said to me a couple of years ago, which was "You cannot grow without helping someone else to grow." Our spiritual growth doesn't happen just to us it seems. It's not an isolated event because we are not isolated from our fellows. Prayer used in this positive fashion, that of helping others to experience the presence of God, is not only a growth stimulus for them, but absolutely essential for our own growth. And this is why I link the use of prayer with the actualization of divine potential in time and space that the Urantia Book refers to as Supremacy. Do you remember what the book says about God the Supreme? We will not find him separately. We will all find Him together. We all grow together, in and with the Supreme.

This vision of prayer has affected my concept of family as well. I can guarantee you that if you pray regularly for someone they become family to you. I first recognized this when I began praying for that young man four years ago. From the beginning, I thought, "That man could be my son."; and then one day, "That man is my son." I have actually developed a parental attitude toward a person I have met only once. Sometimes I think of it this way: worship is the relationship between Father and child, but including in prayer creates a family. This is an especially beautiful way to begin to recognize a stranger, even an enemy, as a brother. The Urantia Book tells us that love is infectious. I have not been able to pray for a person, send them God's love, without catching it myself. Prayer does indeed change us.

I asked Welmek on one occasion, "Why is it that sometimes I want to help someone so badly, and I ask for help, for words to say, and I don't hear anything?" His answer was "The next time that happens, listen with your heart." So often we have a general love of mankind in our minds, we listen in our minds; but actively engaging in prayer for our brethren can move that love from here, to here. They not only become a part of our family, but a part of our living experience of love ministry. Do you remember page 1098 of the Urantia Book: "It is not so important to love all men today as it is that each day you learn to love one more human being." Prayer is one way to do that.

Until now, I've been talking about praying for others. I think most of us find it much easier still to do that than to pray for ourselves. Self-interest and selfishness have very similar definitions, and neither is regarded as spiritually fragrant. The warnings in the Urantia Book are so very severe that for a long time after beginning my prayer odyssey I still didn't include myself in my prayers. I know I was benefiting enormously from all the love flowing through me, and often I didn't even think of myself at all. But sometimes I did, and still didn't know how to reconcile my cry for help with feelings of selfishness.

Why do we tend to think of prayer as a last resort for ourselves or others? I now think of it as a first resource. I remember fairly early in the mission Teacher Will visited our group and someone asked a question regarding when do we know we've done everything we can and should now go to the Father for help. Her reply was "To begin with, in problem-solving it is best to engage the Father from the very beginning. It is not a matter of struggling on by yourself until you reach a point where you can go no further and then saying 'help'...If you enlist the Father's aid every day, in your joys as well as your troubles, you will find that problem-solving will become more insightful for you, and somehow easier than it might have been." I find her use of the term "insightful" interesting because remember, "Prayer is designed .... to expand insight." (UB p. 1616)

How we approach prayer is determined by our concept of the Father, and conditioned by our own experience with parenthood. How many of you are parents?....Do you remember your own 2-year-old coming to you and placing their hands on your knee and looking at you with a wordless plea for help? They couldn't put it into words for you or themselves, but what was our response? Even if they could put it into words, isn't their cry to you vastly more important than what is said? And didn't you respond instantaneously with love? Can we really be self-conscious in our approach to the Father if we've ever had such an experience? The cry of the child to the parent is primal, and so is the response of love. Doesn't the Father know every thought in our minds, every craving in our hearts anyway? Would you want your children to be so self-conscious, that they wouldn't come to you at all? When I realized that I wouldn't want that to happen with my children, I assumed that the Universal Father and Christ Michael wouldn't want that either.

Once more I began to pray more freely, and joyously, even for myself. I have learned to pray not only from the mind but more from the heart. And I have come up with some of my own very personal definitions of prayer: prayer is a joy, not a burden; the sublime peace of a thankful heart; and adventure that reaches from time to eternity; a living partnership with God in the service of man; a mobilization of mindal and spiritual forces; a consecration of purpose; an expansion of family; a living trust in the goodness of God; an attitude of soul; a way of live. Worship happens to me, but prayer makes things happen for others. Prayer is the actualization of supreme values in the bestowal of love to my fellows, as I become part of the living stream of blessings that flow from the parent to His children.

This is what Jesus thought about prayer, from page 2089 of The Urantia Book,: "Jesus never prayed as a religious duty. To him prayer was a sincere expression of spiritual attitude, a declaration of soul loyalty, a recital of personal devotion, an expression of thanksgiving, an avoidance of emotional tension, a prevention of conflict, an exaltation of intellection, an ennoblement of desire, a vindication of moral decision, an enrichment of thought, an invigoration of higher inclinations, a consecration of impulse, a clarification of viewpoint, a declaration of faith, a transcendental surrender of will, a sublime assertion of confidence, a revelation of courage, the proclamation of discovery, a confession of supreme devotion, the validation of consecration, a technique for the adjustment of difficulties, and the mighty mobilization of the combined soul powers to withstand all human tendencies toward selfishness, evil, and sin. He lived just such a life of prayerful consecration to the doing of his Father's will and ended his live triumphant with just such a prayer."

My words today are not adequate to express how I feel about prayer because it is an entirely and uniquely personal experience for every individual. But I have discovered that we can live with a prayerful consciousness of partnership with God throughout our day, in our homes, at our jobs, anywhere, any time and with anyone. If you haven't already begun your own adventure with prayer, I strongly suggest that you do so, to find our own personal insights into and definitions of prayer. Lose the "guilt trips" about doing it "right", go with the flow of divine blessings and enjoy every moment of it. So that when someone says to you "Why bother?" you'll have your own answers. Thank you for letting me share mine.

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January 20, 1997

It was so great hearing from you, and I'm so pleased you want to publish the speech.

An additional note in regard to placing people in the "light" - I use light and love as a shield around those I pray for. I ask Christ Michael to from this shield of love around each person, a shield that prevents negativity from passing through form either direction. In this way, the individual is protected from the negative thoughts or feelings of others and they are protected from any negativity created in this person.

This technique is particularly helpful in the presence of others who are extremely negative in attitude and works as a psychic "shield" even from a distance.

Linda Buselli

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The message below was posted on the TML in response to Linda Buselli's post.

Sunday, January 19, 1997

Hi everyone! I haven't had much time to spend on E-mail lately, but I did read Linda Buselli's address on prayer, posted to the TML, which I thought was fantastic. Thanks so much, Linda, for sharing it with us. It spoke directly to my heart, because I'm finding my spirits lagging in dealing with my elderly father. He seems so angry, blaming, isolated, and judgmental lately, that I have a hard time spending time with him. Every discussion seems to lead to an argument, where he's thundering about how "he's the boss," "he's in charge." I feel "drained," as though he is literally draining a positive life force from me into the negative cloud that surrounds him. I have been praying for him, for me, for my mom, but I'm going to specifically try some of the visualization techniques that you mention in your address. Thanks for a wonderful post.

You mentioned that you have not seen many lessons on prayer from Teachers. I have one from Olfana that I can share. I have mixed feelings about this lesson. On the one hand, I think it has some good advice in it. On the other hand, I feel the lesson doesn't adequately express what Olfana was trying to say. I was tired that night at our TM session. We had a new member that night, whom I respect greatly, who was very ambivalent about the Teaching Mission, and I was anxious about how she would view my tring. I hadn't done much stillness practice during the week before the session, and I think it affected the clarity of the connection between me and Olfana. All through her lesson, my own mind kept breaking in with "Does this make sense?" "Is this clear?" The first time Olfana said "the music of the spheres" I balked at her words. I kept thinking "This is only a romantic, impressionistic expression from the Renaissance. What could this mean?" Olfana kept patiently trying to bring up this image, time and again. With hindsight, I do feel she meant this image in a very literal way. One of these days, I'll learn to keep all my thoughts quiet, and just trust her! Perhaps I'll get another lesson on prayer some day, but until then, I offer you this one. If it seems choppy, don't blame Olfana, blame Susan.

October 31, 1993

A lesson on "Prayer" from Olfana

Prayer touches the Father's Heart. Praying uplifts the soul, allowing moments of ecstasy, connection, and serenity. Prayer binds you to the Father in a relationship of trust. Your petitions are heard. Never doubt this. They are received and recorded faithfully. Much prayer from mortals reflects your imperfect state, yet we see the innocent trust of your prayers as edifying. Prayers to the Father reverberate throughout the universe as the "music of the spheres." Praying allows you moments of contemplation of the many ways in which God moves through your life. It marks the events of your life as directed by guidance from the Thought Adjuster. Praying for God's Guidance in your life opens opportunities for much intervention. Pray with intention. Pray with trust. Allow for the possibility of answers to your prayers coming from many sources. Reach out to the Father with courage. Pray for strengthened desire to do His Will. Pray for patience. Pray that you motives in life can evolve with love and support from the Thought Adjuster. Rededicate yourself in prayer to follow the Father's Will. Pray for the support of angels in your efforts to do this. Realize your prayers create a music in the heavens. Faith-filled exhortations to the Father are indeed a chorus of trust, and love, and praise. Render your desires and hopes to the oversight and supervision of God's Counselors. Pray that your life can demonstrate to others a model of inspiration. Pray that you demonstrate yourself to be a faith-filed Child of God. Then, allow time for reflection that you petitions to God are, indeed, being delegated to beings whose desire is to help you fulfill your stated requests. Realize how prayer can be a steadying influence on your emotional nature--that the guidance you seek is from a higher source than your own emotional nature. Prayers of thanksgiving are beautiful gifts to God. Imagine your words of praise and thanksgiving flowing to the Father! He hears these expressions of your faith as joyful notes of your soul's music. Pray for God's Support of those you see in need. Realize your requests, indeed, create opportunities for God's Intervention in their lives. Pray for peace. This is a balm to soothe your weary planet. Prayers for peace, your request for peacefulness for yourself and others, indeed, encourages such an atmosphere to be created among you. Recognize the many ways in which you, indeed, are empowered to ask of God for blessings in your lives. This is how it should be. You are His Children, deserving of His Protection and His Bounty. Always pray with a trusting heart, yet realize that answered prayers may not demonstrate themselves to you, immediately. Time and patience are a part of this process. Pray first for the knowledge to know God's Will. Pray second for courage and faith to carry out this Guidance. Rest your trust in the knowledge that your petitions are valued, and deserving of attention. Remain hopeful that all sincere prayers rise heavenward, with your hopes.

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THE CANDLE

In sharing my enthusiasm and experiences with the candle, several have asked me to share it in the newsletter - so this is my story of the candle - Allene Vick

At the Spokane Gathering in 1994, Bill and Virginia Kelly told me about their experience with a battery operated candle, like the ones you see at Christmas. They said that when the Midwayers wanted to contact them, the candle would light up - on its own! I have never been able to find one. William Gainer gave me one and I love it and want to share my experiences with you. As you might imagine, I couldn't wait to try it out. To light it, you turn the ring that connects the bulb and battery. This particular bulb puts off a beautiful light that creates shadow design on the wall and ceiling that in itself is a thing of beauty. If it did nothing more, I would be delighted with the atmosphere that this candle creates in the dark for meditating. When I went to bed, I very carefully made sure that it was off - that the candle and the batteries were not connected. In a short amount of time - the light came on! I was about as delighted as a kid at Christmas with his favorite toy. In telling this story, several people have asked me if I got a message. I didn't feel any urge to transmit or that there was any message. It just seemed like a wonderful reassurance of celestial presence, which I did not attribute to any particular order. I just felt a warm fuzzy glow when the light was on. The next day, the skeptic in me was fully present. Maybe somehow the dog brushed against the bookcase and that was why it turned on. So, I turned it off even more, shook it and hit it on the bookcase to make sure that there was no way it could connect. Later the next evening, I happened to pass the bedroom door and the light was on! I told William that I want one in every room in the house. It doesn't matter whether they light up or not, they are a good reminder to me to pay attention and keep focused on what is important.

I was away for a couple of weeks and couldn't wait to get back to my candle, but it just sat there with no light for a couple of days.. Then, one night after turning it on for the stillness, I got up and turned it off to go to sleep. Again, being very careful to make sure that it was completely off. About five minutes later as I was all settled in bed finishing up a conversation with my celestial family, the light came on! Again, I can't tell you how wonderful the feeling was when the light came on. I felt such a glow of love surrounding me. What a way to go to sleep!

I don't know if it is somehow simply a natural occurrence of energy that makes the connection or if there it is the work of the celestials. Whatever the cause is, is not important to me. It keeps me focused, gives me assurance and makes me feel great.

Ellen Greenwood was good enough to search through her Christmas catalogues and I am happy to say that we now have a source for the candles. They can be ordered from Miles Kimball, 41 West Eighth Avenue, Oshkosh, WI 54906 Phone - 1-414-231-4886. They are listed on page 57 of the 1996 Holiday Preview Catalogue for $3.98 each or 3 for $9.98. Bulbs are $2.98 for 4.

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TM FAMILY NEWS

John and Pam Sanderson of our Washington Metro Group announced last Sunday that they are moving to Las Vegas, NV. John quit his job of 22 years with a large corporation to take a position with a smaller company and is looking forward to the change. They are both glad to be going back West again. Pam has done a wonderful job as the main TR for our group and for awhile the only TR. Now others are coming online. Both Pam and John will be sorely missed by all of us here, but we are happy for them and very grateful for all the many contributions they have made to our group. Unless I miss my guess, we'll be hearing about a Vegas group when they get settled!

Linda Busseli informed me this week that she and Robert are moving to Dallas, where Robert has taken a new job. They surely will be missed in Indianapolis, but they will find a warm and enthusiastic welcome in Dallas as the Dallas group eagerly awaits their arrival.

While visiting with the Cincinnati Group, I learned of the program of prison ministry that Stephanie Gjerde is working for called Exodus. Unlike other prison ministries, they spend time with the prisoners listening to them and, of course, loving them. It was fascinating to listen as Stephanie and others in the group talked about the program and their experiences. Will have more to share in the next newsletter. It was a very cold night and some of the members were unable to attend including Jim Cleveland. We started going around the group sharing as I wanted to hear their news and learn more about the newer members We never got into teacher contact as there was so much to share and we were all enjoying learning about each other.

In Dothan, Alabama, I had the pleasure of meeting James McNealy, who shared some of his experiences with me. He has more of his writing that you can look forward to seeing in the future. William Gainor, of our Washington Metro group, made a couple of videos of our group to give to him.

It was good to see my old friends in the Tallahassee group and meet the newer members one of whom has undertaken an ambitious project of putting together a community celebration this year. You'll be hearing more about this. After much work, Fred Harris has completed his book, The Correcting Time. Fred has been giving a great deal of thought to the idea of developing a community. Joi-Lin and Fred continue their volunteer work at the soup kitchen.

In Bradenton, FL I stayed with Del Price, who now has a voice activated computer and is busy recording the volumes of material he and Ken Hartman have accumulated over the last few years from Ken's contacts.

In Sarasota, FL, I saw Chris Hart and Eileen McGuire. Chris filled me in on what is happening with the Caisse's Tea and Polarity Units. Soon the Caisse's tea will be in a cream form as this has been found to be effective. Things are moving along, but it is frustrating to know what these products will do and to be so restricted by the current laws regulating statements about their uses. Thank goodness the teachers aren't bound by our regulations!!! The three of us had a small transmission session with Michael, which is one of the few times in my experience when Michael's presence was so strong it was as if he was standing right there touching our shoulders!

The Washington Metro Group here is growing. We have had four new visitors and are looking forward to their becoming regular members of our group. The location of our meetings continually rotates between Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

Family is a good word for describing the feeling in visiting with TeaM members. Love In Action is a theme that abounds in this mission - whether it is a project undertaken or merely the conscious effort to look for opportunities to apply the lessons we are learning in all our contacts with others. It is good to see the rich diversity of interests, projects, approaches and ideas that emerge in visiting with groups. I can hardly wait for the conference to see more of you shining lights - Vibrant Visionaries of Exalted Promise as Veronica would say.

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PROJECTS

TM Directory - Gerry Baker is working on the 1997 edition of the TM Directory. If you have received a form from her, please take the time to fill it out and return it to her. In case you didn't receive a form, you will find one on the back page of this newsletter. Even if you replied to last year's survey, please submit another one because e-mail, faxes, updated comments to share and certain other information is requested this time. Listings will be similar to last year's unless specific permission is given to print your full name and address. But Gerry will need your address to mail you your directory even if your address is not to be published. The form has been amended for this provision. I urge to help by returning your forms to her as this project takes a lot of work and is one that will be of benefit to all of us. Our thanks to you, Gerry, for your work and dedication to this project.

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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

THE INTERNATIONAL TEACHING

MISSION GATHERING 1997

Snow Mountain, Colorado

"LOVE IN ACTION"

August 21-24, 1997

For information and registration packets contact Barry Norby at 936 Buck Drive, Dover DE 19901. To offer suggestions or offer your help with the program contact Eric Johnson at 303-604-2347.

If you missed the JANUARY 31 DEADLINE FOR REGISTERING, there is still time, so get your registration forms in as soon as possible.

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THE URANTIA BOOK

1. DIVINE FORGIVENESS

For several days Peter and James had been engaged in discussing their differences of opinion about the Master's teaching regarding the forgiveness of sin. They had both agreed to lay the matter before Jesus, and Peter embraced this occasion as a fitting opportunity for securing the Master's counsel. Accordingly, Simon Peter broke in on the conversation dealing with the differences between praise and worship, by asking: "Master, James and I are not in accord regarding your teachings having to do with the forgiveness of sin. James claims you teach that the Father forgives us even before we ask him, and I maintain that repentance and confession must precede the forgiveness. Which of us is right? what do you say?"

After a short silence Jesus looked significantly at all four and answered: "My brethren, you err in your opinions because you do not comprehend the nature of those intimate and loving relations between the creature and the Creator, between man and God. You fail to grasp that understanding sympathy which the wise parent entertains for his immature and sometimes erring child. It is indeed doubtful whether intelligent and affectionate parents are ever called upon to forgive an average and normal child. Understanding relationships associated with attitudes of love effectively prevent all those estrangements which later necessitate the readjustment of repentance by the child with forgiveness by the parent.

"A part of every father lives in the child. The father enjoys priority and superiority of understanding in all matters connected with the child-parent relationship. The parent is able to view the immaturity of the child in the light of the more advanced parental maturity, the riper experience of the older partner. With the earthly child and the heavenly Father, the divine parent possess infinity and divinity of sympathy and capacity for loving understanding. Divine forgiveness is inevitable; it is inherent and inalienable in God's infinite understanding, in his perfect knowledge of all that concerns the mistaken judgement and erroneous choosing of the child. Divine justice is so eternally fair that it unfailingly embodies understanding mercy.

"When a wise man understands the inner impulses of his fellows, he will love them. And when you love your brother, you have already forgiven him. This capacity to understand man's nature and forgive his apparent wrong doing is Godlike. If you are wise parents, this is the way you will love and understand your children, even forgive them when transient misunderstanding has apparently separated you. The child, being immature and lacking in the fuller understanding of the depth for the child-father relationship, must frequently feel a sense of guilty separation from a father's full approval, but the true father is never conscious of any such separation. Sin is an experience of creature consciousness; it is not a part of God's consciousness.

"Your inability or unwillingness to forgive our fellows is the measure of your immaturity, your failure to attain adult sympathy, understanding, and love. You hold grudges and nurse vengefulness in direct proportion to your ignorance of the inner nature and true longings of your children and your fellow beings. Love is the outworking of the divine and inner urge of life. It is founded on understanding, nurtured by unselfish service, and perfected in wisdom."

The purpose of this monthly newsletter is to create a network for sharing information among all individuals and groups involved in the TR (Transmitter/Receiver) process with Celestial Teachers in the Teaching Mission during this Correcting Time. More information about the Celestial Teachers can be found in The Urantia Book. All contributions for the newsletter; correspondence; and requests to be included on the mailing list should be sent to:

Allene Vick

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